Artificial teeth.



B. B, LEWIS.

ARTIFICIAL TEETH.

APPLICATION FILED mwzn. 191s.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

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BENJAMIN B. LEWIS, or nnrnonron'r, CONNECTICUT.

ARTIFICIAL TEETH.

Application filed. January 21, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Artificial Teeth, of which the following is a specification.

My invention more especially pertains to a method of mounting artificial teeth so as to supply the place of a missing molar or several of these in the natural teeth, and also to amply subserve by their use the required purposes of mastication in the preparation and absorption of food into the system. Where vacancies occur in the natural teeth of this class in both the upper and under set on the same side of the jaw, it is evident that the function of mastication is very seriously interfered with. The ordinary dental procedure in such cases, as is well known, consists in a rather precarious bridging operation, or in the more heroic alternative of removing the entire remainder of the natural set and supplying their place with full sets of artificial teeth. Such oper ation is necessarily attended with more or less pain and risk to the health to those of a not robust physique. By my method of mounting, these vacant molar spaces are not only satisfactorily filled for the purposes of food mastication, but by an in closed connecting spring both the upper and the under jaw sections are held securely in place. They may also be readily removed when desired. The method of mounting these artificial molars employed by me, is, primarily, by the use of aside retaining plate, exterior to the jaw, having inwardly projecting teeth integral with these extending into the vacant cavities left by the missing teeth and of a suitable form to correspond withthat of the cavities involved.

In the formation of the retaining plate and attached teeth the ordinary dental methods of taking a plaster cast are preferably followed, the requirements of such a cast in this case being limited to an exterior one of the side jaw involving projections on its interior surface corresponding to the missing molars of the natural teeth.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1915.

Serial No. 3,532.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan .view of a set of teeth of the lower jaw, showing, on either side an artificial tooth in position with its connected exterior retaining plate. Fig. 2 is an interior side elevation of a pair of exterior retaining plates, each of these carrying an artificial tooth attached to and forming an integral part of the same, the said retaining plates being also joined posteriorly by a connecting spring, each of whose ends are rigidly embedded in the top and bottom retaining plates respectively.

The numeral 10 in Fig. 2 of the drawing designates a retaining plate pertaining to the upper jaw on the right side of the face and carrying on its interior surface a pro jecting tooth 11 integral with it, occupying the place of the missing second molar. Coupled to the upper plate by a spring 17 is a retaining plate 12, pertaining to the lower jaw and having upon its interior a projecting tooth 13 integral with the same, so placed as to fill the vacancy caused by the loss of the first molar of the right lower jaw. In Fig. 1 the lower half of this retaining plate 12 is shown in position on the right lower jaw together with tooth 13, connected integrally with the same. On the left hand side of this lower jaw is also shown a lower retaining plate 12, carrying the middle molar 15. In case other molars are missing two or more projecting teeth may be thus connected integrally to the plate, thus giving a grinding surface to match the teeth of the upper set. The function of the spring 17 is to hold in place the teeth 11 and 13 with the retaining plates to which they are attached on the upper and lower jaw respectively, the outward acting force of the spring being properly adjusted for this purpose. This end 18 of spring 17, bent transversely, serves to make secure spring 17 in the position given to it when the piece in which it is inserted is molded.

In the preparation of the retaining side plates an increase of the functional masticating capacity, when considered desirable, may also be readily secured by a widening of the contact surfaces of the side plates and a mounting on these of artificial molars of a suitable size and conforming to the ing spring fixedly attached to the upper and natural lines of the jaw, as shown in the lower side plates.

plaster cast of the same. T

What I claim BEL J AMIN B. LEWIS. 5 Exterior retaining side plates for the Witnesses:

upper and lower jaw respectively; teeth in- ELBURT O. HULL, tegral With the side plates, and a connect- RUTH M. W. KOGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

